Sports Potpourri: KU proved they are worst in Big 12

Wednesday

Oct 9, 2013 at 6:10 PM

Mac Stevenson

The horses hitched to the Charlie Weis bandwagon are going to have a much lighter load to pull than they had before the 54-16 rout of KU’s football team by Texas Tech.
Whoever was responsible for having punter Trevor Pardula try and run for a first down from his own 16-yard-line late in the second quarter made an inexcusable and stupid mistake.
The game was tied 10-10 at the time, and Texas Tech turned the awful call into an easy touchdown. That was a game changer.
Kansas solidified their justified reputation as the worst football team in the Big 12.
Speculation by the media that coach Weis had recruited well for this season has been refuted.
KU has not improved appreciably since last season. The hope of Jayhawk fans that their team would be better has dissolved like a puff of smoke.
Weis didn’t try and sugarcoat another ignominious loss and said, “So basically what you're saying is that in a couple of minutes over a half you just got outscored 47-0. Who you gonna beat doing that? You're not gonna beat anybody.”
There will be no six wins leading to a bowl game. Putting it as kindly as possible, KU’s team is not yet competitive. And AD Sheahon Zenger’s choice of Weis as head coach no longer appears to have been a wise decision.
In fairness to all concerned, Lew Perkins was the worst AD in KU’s history. He dug a very deep hole for Kansas football by hiring Turner Gill as head coach and giving him a five-year contract.
That set KU back and Weis has been unable to show significant progress since.
Kansas State’s football team had five turnovers and 12 penalties and still almost beat Oklahoma State, losing 33-29.
Even though the Wildcats are 0-2 in the Big 12 after road losses at Texas and Oklahoma State, they proved they can compete with every team in the conference with the possible exceptions of Oklahoma and Baylor.
K-State’s iconic coach, Bill Snyder, was baffled after his team’s mistake-prone performance at Stillwater.
Snyder said, "In our history, we just have not been that kind of a football team. I mean, we haven't always been extremely good, but we haven't turned the ball over and we haven't always been penalized. We had a chance to win even with it, but it sure makes it a lot harder."
If anything positive came from the O-State loss, it was the emergence of quarterback Daniel Sams as a run-pass threat. K-State is clearly a better offensive team with Sams at QB.
The Big 12 is way down from their normal prestigious national standing.
It’s possible that Kansas State will win six games and qualify for a bowl game, but they have to eliminate the turnovers and needless penalties.
Next up for the Wildcats is Baylor at Snyder Family Stadium. Baylor is one of the two best teams in the Big 12 along with Oklahoma, but the Bears have played an undemanding schedule so far.
Nevertheless, Baylor is an explosive offensive football team and the Bears are better than anyone is giving them credit for.
Down through the years, Snyder’s teams have been characterized by their resiliency. Look for the Wildcats to bounce back from their error-filled game last week and challenge Baylor.
The Kansas City Chiefs—behind their big time defense—maintained their unbeaten NFL record (5-0) last Sunday and kept the weekend from being a complete disaster for football fans in Kansas.
Even though the Chiefs won (26-17), their offense sputtered against Tennessee, mainly because of poor pass blocking by the offensive line and the inability of receivers to get open.
This Sunday the Chiefs play Oakland at Arrowhead Stadium. KC will be favored to move their record to 6-0.
Nose guard Dontari Poe has been the most consistent and dominating player on the Chiefs’ defense. His improvement since his rookie season has exceeded the highest expectations.
Rookie offensive right tackle Eric Fisher missed the Tennessee game because of a concussion he suffered against the New York Giants.
KC needs him. Fisher has the ability to be a solid blocker as he gains NFL experience.
Kansas City’s defense has played superb football so far, but the offense is still a work in progress.
Quarterback Alex Smith has been outstanding. However, he needs more help from his offensive line and receivers.
If the offense improves, the Chiefs could become the surprise team in the NFL this season.
-Mac Stevenson is a longtime columnist on collegiate and professional sports in Eastern Kansas.

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